CD 'blinzeln'
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tracks:
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released 12.2008: Creative Sources Recordings - Cs 155 | rec. 2007 Hamburg | total: 44.09
Birgit Ulher: trompete, radio, mutes, speaker | Heiner Metzger: soundtable, piezo pickups, mixer
Info-engl.:
Birgit Ulher and Heiner Metzger play together in various formations since 25 years. The first time they played together in this instrumental constellation was 2005 on the occasion of the exhibition 'Vom Tisch zur Tafel' by Judith Haman. Over the years they played concerts together with local and international musicians, often at Blinzelbar - where Heiner's concert series 'h7-club' took place – and other venues. In the meantime they have developed a very specific, abstract, electroacoustic soundspace. On the soundtable objects of the every day life like wire whisk, brushes, cutlery and glases are moved, bowed, picked and rubbed. Amplified by piezo pick-ups the sounds get an unusual presence, soundtextures and details become cleary audible. These sounds interact, contrast and mix with a differentiated grammar of trumpetsounds, occasionally extended by radiosounds, which are projected into the trumpet using a speaker as mute. The result are complex, partly reductionist soundlandscapes, changing between layered and percussive passages. The duo has just released their first CD 'blinzeln' in December 2008 on the portuguese label Creative Sources.
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Birgit Ulher und Heiner Metzger spielen seit 25 Jahren zusammen in verschiedenen Formationen. Als Duo spielten sie 2005 anlässlich der Installation 'vom Tisch zur Tafel' von Judith Haman zum ersten Mal in dieser Instrumentenkonstellation, und in der Folgezeit zusammen mit internationalen und lokalen MusikerInnen bei vielen h7- clubkonzerten in der 'Blinzelbar'. Inzwischen haben sie einen sehr eigenen, abstrakten, elektroakustischen Klangraum mit den Geräuschen und Klängen von Soundtable und Trompete entwickelt. Auf dem Soundtable werden Alltagsgegenstände wie Schneebesen, Bürsten, Besteck, Gläser, u.a., bewegt, gestrichen, gezupft oder gerieben. Verstärkt durch Piezotonabnehmer bekommen die Tischklänge eine ungewohnte Präsenz, werden Klangtexturen und die Bespielungsdetails deutlich hörbar. Diese Klänge interagieren, kontrastieren oder vermischen sich mit einer differenzierten Grammatik an Trompetenklängen, erweitert mitunter durch abstrakte Radiosounds, die von einem Lautsprecher in die Trompete projiziert werden.Daraus entstehen komplexe, teils reduzierte Klanglandschaften, changierend zwischen flächigen und eher perkussiven Passagen. Das Duo hat Dezember 2008 beim portugiesischen Label `Creative Sources´ seine erste CD 'blinzeln' veröffentlicht.
ww.birgit-ulher.de| ww.heinermetzger.de| ww.creativesourcesrec.com| ww.hierunda.de/blinzelbar.html
Kontakt:
Heiner Metzger | Mörkenstraße 9 | 22767 Hamburg | post - at - heinermetzger.de | tel. 040 - 36 46 29
photo©Gunnar_Lettow
Reviews:
Squidco unusual & experimental music at mailorder prices
Birgit Ulher's trumpet is appearing in more and more places it seems, in contexts ranging from solo to rather large groups. A quick perusal of her website shows an impressive list of concerts and recordings. Heiner Metzger too has been around, though seemingly not as visibly. His "soundtable" here contributes a great many interesting and sometimes unrecognizable vibrations, and together these two are an intelligent and careful unit.
The disc begins with high-pitched feedback sounds joined by breaths, eventually evolving into prickly tiny-string plucks and weird rumbling, with some scratchy metal along the way. Electric drill and bowed dust pan seem to be the order of "gleicht", and "noch" is all spit-laden wind and overtones. The photos on Metzgers website show a table with all manner of bits of wood and metal clamped to it, as well as two wine glasses which he is playing by rubbing his wet fingers around the rims. Maybe I'm cheating, but now I know how at least some of these sounds are made. Or so I think...
The title track features more wind, along with some wooden, rachety sounds which eventually coalesce into door-squeaks and second-grade violin, which is not a bad thing. The shortest piece "jedem", is growling and buzzing against crackles and rubbings, yielding into metallic tumbling and soft sputtering. Intelligent and careful sound improv.
- Jeph Jerman 2009-04-28